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Jared Cook is an big, athletic tight end that has been full of promise, but has yet to truly break out. The 6’5, 254 pound tight end has never had a quarterback of Aaron Rodgers throwing the ball to him…until now..
Cook’s last five seasons:.
2011: 49 catches, 759 yards, 3 touchdowns
2012: 44 catches, 523 yards, 4 touchdowns
2013: 51 catches, 671 yards, 5 touchdowns
2014: 52 catches, 634 yards, 3 touchdowns
2015: 39 catches, 481 yards, 0 touchdowns.
Cook’s 12.3 yards per catch last year ranked only behind Gronk, Greg Olsen, Gary Barnidge, Zach Miller, Jimmy Graham and Crocket Gillmore at the tight end position. His career average is 12.8 yards per catch. Richard Rodgers catch 58 passes last year for Green Bay for 510 yards and eight touchdowns. Rodgers averaged just 8.8 yards per catch. Cook will be used to take advantage of the middle of the field..
Cook, who will turn 29 next month, has a chance to deliver TE1 numbers. He’s certainly an intriguing option.

Jared Cook is a freakish athlete. He’s big and fast with excellent leaping ability. His athletic prowess is reminiscent of Vernon Davis, who finally broke out last year. It was Vernon Davis’ fourth year in the league, which doesn’t bode well for Cook because Davis was much more of a “can’t miss” prospect.

Cook’s athleticism led Tennessee to take him in the third round (89th overall pick) of the 2009 NFL Draft. He tore it up in the Titans first four preseason games catching 17 passes for 159 yards, which led to serious sleeper status for Cook in last year’s fantasy football drafts.

Unfortunately injuries and a poor work ethic kept him in Rip Van Winkle mode. Cook had just 9 catches for 74 yards in 14 games. His top two games were 27 & 29 yard efforts in Weeks 5 & 12.

If Cook is going to break out this year, it will be completely under the radar. The Titans brought Bo Scaife back so it will take an injury or a miracle for Cook to ascend to the starting tight end role.

If you read some of OC Mike Heimerdinger’s quotes regarding Cook, you get a feel for where he’s at. ”He needs to become much more consistent week to week if he’s going to play for us”. Heimerdinger also said ”he has made some plays, but he still has a ways to go. He flashes that talent, but we need him to do it all the time.” Clearly consistency is the issue. Scaife doesn’t have the upside that Cook does, but if he is anything, he is consistent.

I wouldn’t rule Cook out from figuring things out down the road, but I think it’s going to some more time. At this time, just keep Jared Cook in mind as a possible sleeper candidate. Just make him prove his worth before you consider adding him to your fantasy team.

Here are some Wide Receivers and Tight Ends that have played well in the preseason. Let’s evaluate them to see if they can translate their preseason production into fantasy worth when the season begins.

Wide ReceiversTroy Williamson, Jacksonville Jaguars - Troy still leads the NFL in receiving yards with 232, but his one catch, 11 yard performance against Philadelphia is a reminder that he shouldn’t be counted on for fantasy production. Yeah, he’ll catch the occasional deep ball, but consistency will be an issue.

Chris Henry, Cincinnati Bengals - Henry scored for the third straight preseason game. He had 2 catches for 62 yards. So far he has 13 grabs for 217 yards and 3 TDs. If he can stay out of trouble, he could have double-digit TDs. Considering he’s going in the later rounds, he should be a great value pick.

Hakeem Nicks, New York Giants – Nicks had a monster 6 catch, 144 yard, 2 TD performance against the Jets to put him on the fantasy radar. That gives him 8 catches for 208 yards. I don’t see him having much fantasy value as he’ll likely share split end duties with Domenik Hixon.

Robert Meachem, New Orleans Saints - Meachem caught one pass for 71 yards in the win over the Raiders giving him 177 yards on 6 catches for a ridiculous 29.5 yards per catch. He also has competition for playing time, but has a much better QB and passing game with Drew Brees and the Saints.

Maurice Stovall, Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Stovall had 6 catches for 74 yards against Miami to bring him to 12 for 123 yards in the preseason. He could earn a few starts based on Antonio Bryant and Michael Clayton’s health, but I don’t see him being much of a factor. I’d look elsewhere for WR depth.

Tight EndsJared Cook, Tennessee Titans – Jared continued to produce with 5 catches for 39 yards in a loss to Cleveland. He has 17 catches for 159 yards this preseason. The Titans could be using a lot of two TE sets with Cook and Bo Scaife. He’s a decent TE2 option.

Jonathan Stupar, Buffalo Bills – Stupar had 15 receptions for 155 yards and a score. He went without a catch in their loss to Pittsburgh. Look for other options for your TE2.

I wrap up my NFL Rookie skill position breakdown with the top Tight Ends.

Brandon Pettigrew, Detroit Lions – I’m not sure how much he’ll contribute as a Rookie Tight End, but he is definitely the one to target in dynasty leagues. Not only is he an exceptional blocker, he has good hands. Every young QB needs a safety valve and when Matthew Stafford gets his feet wet, the bit 6’5″ TE out of Oklahoma State will be just that. Pettigrew caught 42 passes for 472 yards last year despite missing four games.

Richard Quinn, Denver Broncos – Quinn will mainly be utilized for his blocking ability. It’s puzzling why he went so early, and to a team with Tony Scheffler, Daniel Graham and Jeb Putzier. New England values Tight Ends and H-Backs so perhaps Josh McDaniels is trying to borrow that philosophy. There is some speculation that Scheffler will be dealt.

Jared Cook, Tennessee Titans – Here’s another team with a glut of Tight Ends. Bo Scaife recently signed his one-year franchise tender and they have veteran Alge Crumpler. Cook was a big play TE at South Carolina catching 73 passes in his three years for 1107 yards (15.2 ypc) and 7 TDs. He’s a big target (6’5″, 240) that should develop into a solid TE in a couple years.

Chase Coffman, Cincinnati Bengals - Chase capped off an extremely productive collegiate career with 90 receptions for 987 yards and 10 TDs. He finished with 247 receptions for 2659 yards and 30 TDs. He could easily slide into the starter role for the Bengals and is my pick for most productive Rookie TE.

Travis Beckum, New York Giants - Beckum was limited to six games last year, but he averaged 68 receptions for 942.5 yards and 5.5 TDs his previous two years. He’ll be used in two Tight End sets with Kevin Boss, but doesn’t offer much fantasy value initially. Quality pick by the G-Men though.

Shawn Nelson, Buffalo Bills – Buffalo had a need for a pass-catching TE and Nelson should fit the bill. He caught 53 passes last year for 557 yards and 3 TDs. He averaged 514 yards per season in his stellar four years at Southern Miss.

Cornelius Ingram, Philadelphia Eagles - It may take a year or two for Ingram to make an impact, but the potential is there. He had 34 receptions for 508 yards and 7 TDs in 2007. Great athlete, but is recovering from an ACL injury that cost him all of last year for the Gators.

Tennessee Tight End Bo Scaife signed his one-year contract, which will bring him a cool $4.46 million. Scaife set career highs last year with 58 receptions and 561 yards. He did most of his damage early as he averaged just 19.9 yards a game over the last seven weeks compared to the 46.9 ypg he averaged over the first nine games. The overall numbers could lead him to be drafted a little higher than he should. You have to consider they have Alge Crumpler, who caught 24 passes last year, and Rookie Jared Cook. Cook caught 37 passes for 573 yards for the South Carolina Gamecocks last year. Scaife is a fantasy Tight End I would avoid next year.